Euphoria

--TO PURCHASE PHLEGMTHROWER, PLEASE CLICK ON THE BUTTON BELOW--(if it doesn't work for some reason, email us) Euphorias debut album, the enigmatically entitled Phlegmthrower, was released after much anticipation in March, 2006. Obviously, this North Carolina rock/metal trio has a sense of humor. But what is most striking about Phlegmthrower is the versatility of both the music and the songwriting. While most songs can definitely be described as aggressive, heavy, and mosh-pit inducing, the album contains elements of country (18 Wheels of Justice- a hard-core spin on Convoy), industrial (Raging Epididymitis), psychedelia (Crawl), and Middle Eastern music (When I Get To Baghdad). Truly a product of the internet era, the three members of Euphoria met through computerized want ads. Coming from different walks of life, the three recognized a commonality in their music and Euphoria was born. While Euphoria has a traditional power trio format, there are several unusual twists. The drummer, Steve Jones is the lead singer. Jones is a heavy hitter and displays huge versatility employing fast double bass rhythms, colorful fills, and percussion not often found on a rock or metal album such as gongs (When I Get To Baghdad) and a djembe (The Difference In U & Me). The fact that he provides such a rhythmic foundation for the band while simultaneously delivering a vocal performance as good or better than most stand-alone frontmen is nothing short of amazing. His vocals, reminiscent of Ozzy Osbourne, conjure a wide range of emotions in the listener, pulling him or her into the mental state of each song. Haunting one minute, angry the next, and sometimes just out there, Jones vocals mesh amazingly well with the bands songwriting. This songwriting, shared by all three members of Euphoria, covers a wide range of topics from political corruption (Injustice) to marriages fallen apart (What You Did) to a descent into the depths of insanity (Oblivion). Phlegmthrower often places the listener inside the head of an unusual cast of characters from a sleep-deprived, dope-running vigilante trucker (18 Wheels of Justice), to a gung-ho American infantryman during the first days of the Iraqi invasion (When I Get To Baghdad), to a deranged drifter hitchhiking across the country (Raging Epidydimitis). Bassist Agonis Thorn The Lord of the Low End employs a straightforward technique that is anything but straightforward. He plays all songs in standard tuning (unusual for most metal bassists these days) and uses minimal effects. By report, when asked by a fan of the band why he didnt use effects, he held up his fingers and stated THESE ARE my effects! What distinguishes Thorn is the way his unique sense of timing and note choice provide counterpoint to guitarist Quinn McCutchens rhythms. Unlike most rock/metal bassists, Thorn is not content to ride the bottom string and ape the guitar riffs. While McCutchen plays in one time signature on I Am, Thorn plays in a different one creating a bass rhythm that phases in and out with the guitar. The two play the same chord progression in a round on Crawl. Thorn does his backing vocals in Arabic on Baghdad. If Thorn employs a minimalists approach, guitarist McCutchen utilizes a maximalists approach to his instrument. While several songs have the detuned wall of sound riffing, his effects produce some very unusual guitar parts with endless repeats setting the rhythm on I Am, stratospheric soloing on Torn Away, and shimmering, droning sitar sounds on Crawl. Phlegmthrower as a whole is structured quite well, holding the listeners attention throughout. The album starts with a bang, transitioning from the samples on Phlegmthrower directly into Lockjaw where bass, drums, guitar, and vocals all explode from the first note. From there, the album is a roller coaster of sound all the way to the end on Crawl, a wistful song about failure. And for some who keep listening, there is more. Their goal is not to "take over the world," rather to share the music that is in their heads with as many rock and metal fans as possible. Euphoria will be touring the Southeast this spring and summer promoting Phlegmthrower. I highly recommend checking these guys out live and picking up a copy of their new album...Look for us in